The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus having a function called a launcher, for example, an icon selection method used in such a function, and a program used for the function.
A function called a launcher used in a PC (Personal Computer) or the like is configured to display a list of icons of application programs and files registered in advance so that a desired icon can be selected therefrom. In the case of a laptop PC, with use of, for example, a touchpad, icons are selected by moving a pointer on a screen to a position of a desired icon and then clicking a left button of the touchpad.
Along with the upsizing of PC screens in recent years, an area for displaying a list of icons is becoming larger. As the area becomes larger, a movement amount of a pointer used for selecting a desired icon also becomes larger, and thus the pointer may jump to a different position when moved or the pointer may be lost. Originally, in a general PC, a screen and an operation unit used for operating the screen, such as a touchpad, are separately provided. In addition, the operation to the operation unit for moving a pointer on the screen separated as described above is, so to say, a relative operation. Therefore, a user is not allowed to make an intuitive operation and makes an operation while constantly paying close attention to the pointer on the screen, which is a considerably troublesome operation. In such a case, the convenience of the log-awaited launcher becomes poor.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-233454 (paragraphs [0017] to [0021], FIG. 4; hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a PC in which a touchpad having an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is used for displaying a plurality of icons thereon so that a user can select a desired icon from the displayed icons by touching the icon with a finger.